Review of Onyx Switchblade
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Review of Onyx Switchblade
John Springett's debut novel, Onyx Switchblade, has elements of a spy thriller. It attempts to cover certain events in the ongoing war between Ukraine and Russia, or rather, events that went on just before Russia launched its main attack. These events are fictional and never occur in real life. The book is named after the mission that the Americans undertook in the plot to obtain information from the Russians and disrupt the attack on Ukraine. The title is indeed metaphorical because of the nature of the mission.
The novel begins with the Russian president signing a treaty authorizing a full-scale attack on Ukraine. Meanwhile, the Americans had received intel on Russia's intentions and were setting out to destabilize them. They set up a couple of teams to distract the Russians by stealing information from one of the Russian generals. The Americans had other jobs and other projects ongoing and did not want the Russians to have any idea what they were doing. The opportunity, however, might never have come had it not been for some power play that was going on in the Russian hierarchy.
So Thomas Harrington and the other four Ukrainians were sent on this mission to pretend to be bodyguards to this particular Russian general and steal his laptop, where he keeps all the information about the readiness of the Russians for the war against Ukraine. The team gets into the Russian ranks successfully, but will they be able to steal what is needed by the American government? Will they be able to come out unscathed? Will they be able to return home knowing how dangerous the Russians can be to American spies? The details are in the book.
A particular feature of this book that I enjoyed immensely was the fact that it was able to infuse true spy thriller elements into its narrative. The tension, fast-paced movement of events, and grand ending were apt for a well-written thriller novel. Another thing I enjoyed was the fact that it was very realistic. The difficulties faced by the characters were as realistic as they could be. Unlike some writers who would depict their characters as specially endowed individuals who overcome anything that faces them, Springett shows his characters as ordinary humans who, by the combination of sheer luck, wits, and guts, can embark on a mission that looks impossible.
Although the book is really good in my opinion, I still feel that there is room for improvement. Some explanations and character stream-of-consciousness are just very long-winded, and that does not help the plot. In my opinion, it slows it down. But then, as a debut novel, it's a very good attempt. All in all, it was well written, and I believe people who enjoy spy thrillers will find this one a very interesting read. I might sound a little biased in my rating of the book when I give it 5 out of 5, but then I'm a really big fan of spy thrillers, and I enjoyed this particular one very much. The editing was exceptionally done by experts; I didn't come across any errors.
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Onyx Switchblade
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